Barum tyres for children's aid project

Hanover / Heidelberg, August 14, 2012

The Kinderhilfe Mongolei e.V. has obtained an ambulance for the medical care and transport of children in Mongolia. The equipped Mercedes 609 van started off from Heidelberg for the capital of Mongolia, Ulan Bator. Barum fitted the vehicle with Vanis van tyres to ensure that the van can safely manage the some 10,000 kilometers to Asia.

With the Mercedes 609, a heavy-duty ambulance van obtained from the German army, the six-member team started off from Heidelberg on the some 10,000 kilometer long trip. The travel time alone will be about three weeks, with the route heading from Germany through Austria, Romania, Hungary, Moldova, Ukraine and Kazakhstan to Mongolia. The ambulance and its tyres will deal with varying road conditions and types along the way, ranging from motorways and normal highways as well as gravel tracks. Barum fitted the ambulance, which has a permitted total weight of five tonnes, with the rugged Vanis van tyres in the size 205/75 R 16 C. The vehicle should after all provide problem-free service in Mongolia as well enable medical care and the transport of children and their parents for medical treatment.

"We are delighted that Barum has helped us out with van tyres," says Simon Mönks, the team member in charge of equipping the ambulance. "Since high demands are placed on the tyres, we are particularly pleased with these rugged tyres."

Mongolia is one of the world's largest landlocked nations, with its surface area second only to Kazahkstan. It is bordered by Russia in the north and by the People's Republic of China in the south. The country, four and half times larger than Germany, has a population of just under three million and is thus the world's most sparsely populated independent nation. About one third of the inhabitants in the capital city Ulan Bator live below the poverty level. The Kinderhilfe Mongolei e.V.has existed since 1998. Its goal is to help and foster children in difficult situations. The facilities of the Kinderhilfe Mongolei e.V. are about 35 kilometers from Ulan Bator and consist of several buildings. They are at an altitude of 1,700 meters so that they are not affected by the smog from the capital city of the Mongolian Republic.